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ART / DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Naming paints

Curriculum links
English National Curriculum
Art: 1c, 2a, 2b, 4a
Design & Technology: 2c

Approximate time required: 90 minutes

Resources needed

School paints (liquid, powder and solid)
Watercolour paint sets
Artists' colour charts which include the names of colours, 1 for each group (usually available from art shops)
1 Paintbrush per child
1 Mixing palette per pair
Perkin's Purple sheet

Suggested organisation

Whole class introduction, then - groups of 4.

Carrying out the activity

Arrange a large collection of all the different varieties of, and colours of, school paints available and discuss the range of colours available.

Ask volunteers from the class to sort and classify the paints into colour groups, e.g. reds, blues, yellows, greens, oranges, purples, browns, blacks, whites, etc.
When the classification is complete, discuss the use in the past of words for colours to describe or distinguish things. For example:

• Walk along the brown earth track up the hill.
• The sky is turning dark blue, night is coming.
• Fetch me some of the herb with the dark green leaves.
• Put some wood on the fire, it is no longer glowing red.

Discuss the colours of the rainbow to introduce the notion of special colour names, and ask the class the following questions:

• Which colours of the rainbow spectrum have not been mentioned in the colour groups?
• How would you describe these colours?
• Can you think of any other colours you know which have special names?

It is unlikely that either indigo or violet will have been identified in grouping the paint colours.

At this point, the teacher can read the story of Perkin's Purple, that describes the historical discovery of a coloured dye, which is given the name 'mauve'.

Collect a list of other special colour names which children suggest. For example, jade green, royal blue, imperial purple, turquoise (avoid 'light', 'dark', 'bright', 'pale' , etc.).

Introduce the children to the artists' colour charts which include some strange names that may not be easily explained, but are recognised as specific colours; eg. emerald, viridian, burnt umber, etc. These names are often used to give a more precise idea and description of a particular colour.

Children work in groups of 3- 4 to compare the school paints to the artists' colour charts. Each group works on one of the colour groups that was sorted earlier.

Children decide on the closest match between the school paints and the colour chart and then test samples of each school paint on paper, labelling each sample with the colour chart name.

They may be able to find a red which is like scarlet, a red which is more like crimson and other reds which are like madder, vermilion, etc. These are technically known as hues of the colour red. The children can then make labels for the paint containers using names from the artists' colour chart.

Plenary

Each group arranges their collection of names and colours to contribute to a display of named samples of paints to be used as a class reference and to extend colour vocabulary.

Groups report back to the whole class about their findings as they assemble the display.

Labels with the agreed colour names could be attached to the paint containers as a permanent reminder of the decisions made

Background information

Some cultures have many words for shades of the same colour, whilst other cultures have not needed certain colour names much because of the physical nature of their environment.

Research has shown that languages have acquired colour terms in a chronological sequence and that no language has only one colour term, there must be at least two - black and white. The sequence is:

1. black and white
2. red
3. green or yellow
4. yellow or green
5. blue
6. brown
7. purple, pink, orange, grey.

Some of the colours may not be as light fast as others and so a wall display may not last long. It would be worth considering making a folder or book as well, or instead, to store the samples away from the light. This is how a manufacturer's reference would be stored.

The word 'mauve' is the French name for the plant mallow which has flowers of that colour. William Henry Perkin's discovery of synthetic mauve dye made from coaltar sparked off widespread experiments and research which led to modern chemistry as we know it. This synthetic dye was the first commercially marketed. The book 'Mauve' by Simon Garfield tells this story and is published by Faber, ISBN 0-571-20197-0.

Extensions / links

The display and the labelling could eventually include other school colouring materials, such as coloured pencils, felt pens, wax crayons, etc.

The teacher can ask children to make their own individual colour references by putting samples of colour onto a labelled chart, grouping the colours so that the different shades are near each other.

English / Literacy
Read the real-life story behind 'Perkin's Purple' in Literacy Hour. Ask the children to make up a story of their own about the accidental invention of a pigment or dye.

English
Discussion of the chronological order of adding colour words to language will provide an interesting topic for discussion of cultural uses of language. For example, the vast range of new words added to our language since the dawning of the computer age. Children could ask adults to list the words they have only recently started to use as a result of using computers. Research involving questioning parents and grandparents could provide this information.

Colour Glossary: (the language of colour) Children learn more about technical terms used in the colour industry.

Science
Colour Inventors: Children have the opportunity to develop their own colour recipe and give their new colour a name.